Unlikeliest of Companions
by Scarlet Pimpernel00
Summary: Have you ever wondered what Legolas and Gimli do after their time with the Fellowship? Well, here's your answer! They go wandering, and have a few slight mishaps. Nothing too bad will happen, right?
1. Chapter 1

**I need to write something for some characters... This may or may not be a oneshot. Convince me to go on.**

* * *

"Hand me the blasted ax. How else am I supposed ta get ya out of this mess?" Gimli's voice posed a question better left unanswered. After all, he did have an ax. "I said, hand me the bloody ax!" His voice rose to a bellow as his tall, fair companion dug through the pile of weapons.

"Which one is yours?" The Elf's voice was calm and gentle, usually a calming influence. Today, though, it just served to make the Dwarf angrier.

"Any bloody ax, you fool!" Gimli held tightly to the rope attached to the Elf's waist. "Hurry up! The rope is fraying."

Legolas gently tossed an ax up to Gimli. It was notched and rusted, but it would do. "Here. Don't drop it. I'd rather not end up like your father's friend Bifur. It seems unpleasant, and I don't think I could speak Dwarvish." He chuckled, sounding like windchimes with a gentle breeze.

The ax flew through the air and Gimli caught it, cursing as it nearly nicked his his fingers. He began using it to move the rocks aside and chop through the log preventing the Elf from climbing back up. "It's clear. Hurry up. No' only is the rope fraying, but my grip is slippin'."

"Don't drop me. I swear I will come back to haunt you and your kin if you do." Legolas looked a bit flustered, or as flustered as an Elf can look. Swiftly, he gracefully clambered up the rock wall and leapt to stand beside his companion. "I suppose I should thank you for saving me, but this was just payment for one of the times I saved you."

Gimli sighed and stepped back away from the cliff edge after chucking the rusty ax over it. "You know, someday I'm goin' to bea' ya in a fight."

"That isn't likely. Isn't fighting how we got into this mess in the first place?" Legolas sighed. "Where should we go next?"

A cloud covered the sun, throwing them into shadows for a moment. Gimli shivered slightly, remembering the Nazgul and their steeds. "Let's get away from this blasted place. It isn't very pleasant and it reeks of orc blood." They had killed some orcs, and one had managed to knock the Elf prince off balance. "Truthfully, I'm not sure how you fell off tha' cliff in the first place. It seems a bit odd ta me."

Legolas sighed again. "Let's leave." His tone turned sharp and he pointedly avoided the question. The two turned away from the cliff and walked away from the scene of death. It wasn't a pleasant place. The Elf limped slightly, and he was a bit less graceful than usual.

A glance beside him told Gimli all he needed to know. "You're hurt. We need to ten' ta that."

"I'm fine," retorted Legolas, walking still faster. His voice was the sound of bells and breaking glass.

Gimli stopped. "I'm not goin' anywhere 'till you bind that and fix it up."

With a muffled muttering, the Elf stopped and sat gracefully on the ground. The wound made itself known on his leg by a slow, but steady, seeping of blood. He looked around for his pack, only to remember it was at the bottom of the cliff. Gimli, seeing his glance around, tore off a strip from his tunic.

"We need ta stop at a town or village to ge' more supplies. All of 'em are at the bottom of a cliff." Gimli handed the strip of fabric to Legolas. "I know it isn't the cleanest, but Elf wounds don't get infected, right?"

Legolas shook his head. "They do. Just not normally."

* * *

** I've decided to pull a cliffhanger on my readers. Please, don't threaten me, but I need some gentle persuasion to make me write on. I would use Goldie Gamgee's tactic, and hold Pippin in my closet, but she has him. I'll just put Gandalf in my closet and hold him captive until people review.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Nothing ever ge's infected 'round Elves, right?" Gimli was a bit nervous. It was quite understandable. In all his time spent traveling with Legolas, he'd never once seen the Elf trip, fall or get wounded. Now, all three had happened to Legolas.

Legolas shrugged and stood up fluidly. "Not usually. But, there is a first time for everything, as the saying goes." His wound was wrapped tightly and he leaned on that leg, putting all of his weight on it. He winced slightly, his face showing a bit of shock. "Of course, before this, I have never really gotten hurt."

The two looked around them, ensuring no orcs were still around. There weren't any, so they started walking. The going was slow, due to their exhaustion and Legolas's wound. As much as he tried to say otherwise, Gimli still kept the pace slow. "I really don' want ta find out if Elf wounds can get infected," were his only words on the matter and the pair dropped the topic.

...

Mirkwood was sighted, from the top of a hill. Legolas looked towards it, with a hint of longing in his eyes. "It would be good to go home, even for a short time."

"Do ya want to, laddie?" Gimli didn't exactly want to see the Elven Kingdom of Mirkwood, but he would certainly appreciate a soft bed for a night or three. "Where do we go from 'ere?"

The Elf Prince sighed. "We could go and see Erebor, and your father. That might be interesting."

Gimli pondered that for a moment. "It wouldn' be right ta see my family withou' seeing yours. Let's go ta Mirkwood."

They began walking again, Legolas taking slow, long strides and Gimli taking quicker, short strides. Traveling together for so long had made them used to keeping pace with each other. It was always nice to have a friend when walking through unknown lands. The travel went that much faster.

Mirkwood loomed before them a short while later. It was much greener and happier since the days of Smaug and Sauron, but not entirely recovered. The Elves were working on getting it to its original state, of wildness and peacefulness.

Elven Guards met them at the entrance to the fair land, and encouraged them to move quickly through the path. They knew with the arrival of Thranduil's son, there would be a feast to be remembered. Or not, depending how much was drunk.

Gimli sighed at the loss of the cool spring breeze they were leaving behind. "Let's not stay long, lad. We have places ta go."

A half smile was on Legolas's face, as he greeted his friends. "We won't. Just for the feast, that will presumably start as soon as I enter the palace. I know you would like to go home."

He looked around, at the familar walls, buildings, faces and gardens, searching for one. The smile dropped from his face, as he remembered why he was not seeing her. She was buried with the Dwarven folk, Durin's heirs. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned to Gimli. "Let us go quickly. I would like to get this feast over with."

Gimli stepped faster. "Aye. I'm starvin'." A honor guard met them at the palace gate and escorted them in, where a feast lay. It was an enormous feast, with far more food than the two had seen for quite a while.

"Welcome, my son and Gimli, son of Gloin. Welcome." Thranduil spoke commandingly, bringing all conversation to a halt. "Now, let us feast." Conversation again broke out as the Elves and one Dwarf began to eat.

* * *

**I'm never going to get a one shot, am I? Thank you, Goldie, for your lovely review! Thank you all of you! Gimli just has a bit of an accent to make Legolas's speech all the more refined. Thank you all for your reviews! Is the intro any better? I don't own LOTR. There. Just to make you people happy. I have a disclaimer on my profile, and it's probably quite obvious I'm not going to be making any profit off my work. If anyone can guess who Legolas misses, kudos to you! You get an internet cookie! (#)  
The next one will be longer, I promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

The feast was wonderful. Of course, after 30 years of visits, you'd think the feasts would grow less in splendor. But no, they only increased.

No longer were Thranduil and the Elves curious about the relationship between the two unlikeliest of companions. There were some unfriendly reactions and snide comments, but no one would dare insult Princ Legolas Greenleaf. At least not out loud.

The Elven Prince stood silently, watching the sun rise. It rose like a drop of honey, dropping from a bottle, slowly but surely.

Gimli walked up behind the Prince, stepping as lightly as was the Elf's wont. His efforts, though, were in vain.

"I could hear you from the time you stepped over the threshold of your room." Legolas chided. "Try not to step on any twigs, next time."

"An' I tried so hard." Gimli shrugged. "Maybe I'll get it nex' time."

Legolas smiled. "I strongly doubt that."

...

Elves watched the pair as they strode through the forest. They should have gotten used to it by now, seeing the two together, but the sight of a Dwarf and an Elf chatting amiably was still far too uncommon.

They continued chatting as they exited Mirkwood. Greenwood now, Gimli reminded himself. Over the years, he had gotten used to his father calling it Mirkwood, and bad reports of Mirkwood. Now, though, it was green and beautiful, with little beams of golden sunlight seeping through the branches.

"So, ta Erebor we go." Gimli sighed with relief. Elves were nice, and all, but they were just too polite. It was unnatural, how polite they were. At least Dwarrows weren't afraid to speak their minds. Elves, well, they could hold a grudge and never let the slightest hint of it escape. Drowned in their bloody politeness.

Sunbeams danced across their path, striping them with beams of light.

"I believe so, my young friend." Legolas smiled down at his companion.

"Well, my tall friend, I think I may be a bi' more mature than ya. After all, I am consider an adul'."

Legolas smirked. "Well, my short friend, I don't really think you are more mature than me. After all, I have centries of experiences, opposed to your measly hundred and fifty years."

A sigh escaped from Gimli. "I suppose, bu' I can still best ya in a sword fight."

"I doubt that."

...

The great mountain loomed through gaps in the trees. They still had a ways to go, but Gimli was glad to see the end of the trees. It meant no more Elves watching them and inwardly critizing Legolas's choice of traveling companions.

There was nothing the pair couldn't face together, not orcs, not a dragon, not stares.

"I hope there're some orcs on the way. I feel the need ta hew some necks after all the time in tha' forest o' yours." Gimli smiled at the thought. "The Elves were too bloody polite and they stared afta us." He wasn't afraid to say things about the Elvish nature in front of Legolas. The Elf Prince understood it all too well.

"That would be nice. They are far too polite, but underneath their façade, they were simmering with discontent. Why? I know our friendship is odd, but they should have gotten used to it by now. It makes no sense."

Gimli sighed. "It doesn'. Bu' when do Elves ever make sense?"

There was no answer to that. It was rhetorical.

"Now, if some orcs will stick their ugly heads out of the ground, I would enjoy separating their ugly heads from their ugly necks." Legolas looked around. "I imagine, if they ever do, I would get more than you."

The Dwarf shook his head. "And I doubt that strongly."

* * *

**Please review! They honestly do make me write faster. I'd also greatly appreciate ideas for the next chapters, as my plot bunny was eaten by my cat. Gandalf is still in my closet, and he's getting very bored. After all, I only have over two hundred books in there. Thank you for your reviews. If you have a question, ask away and I'll try to answer it. Oh yes, I'm trying to write longer things, but the words just aren't flowing. Thank you, Goldie! If you think there's anything romantic between Legolas and Gimli, you need to get your mind out of the gutter! I know I'm writing it as if it is that way, but it isn't. I promise.  
Long author's note, sorry. The repetitive endings are on purpose. This only took me four days, but spread out...**


End file.
